New Records of Hermit Crab (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) From Maharashtra Coast of India

Ecological characteristic of hermit crabs in Lhokseumawe mangrove forest, Aceh, Indonesia

“…Hermit crabs are crustaceans from the decapoda order (Negri et al, 2014;Gan et al, 2015;Hyzny et al, 2016;Marin, 2016;Jung et al, 2018) and members of the Anomura infra order (Reese, 1969;Gan et al, 2015;Marin, 2016;Hyzny et al, 2016;Danin et al, 2020) as well as the superfamily Paguroidea (Fraaije et al, 2015;Gan et al, 2015;Marin, 2016;Hyzny et al, 2016;Lima et al, 2018), where the superfamily Paguroidea has members of more than 1000 -1100 species (De Grave et al, 2009;McLaughlin et al, 2010;Nirmal et al, 2017) which belong to 5 or 6 families (De Grave et al, 2009;Nirmal et al, 2017).…”

“…Hermit crabs have a significant ecological role in the marine environment (Reese, 1969). They are an important link in the food web, serving as the main food source for economically valuable fish species (Nirmal et al, 2017). They are classified as part of the macrofauna (Danin et al, 2020) and have an asymmetrical body that allows them to live inside gastropod shells (Gan et al, 2015).…”

“…Hermit crabs can be found in a wide range of habitats, from polar regions to tropical seas, with a preference for intertidal environments (Danin et al, 2020). Due to their diverse and widespread distribution, hermit crabs have developed various behavioural and physiological adaptations that contribute to their diversity and distribution (Nirmal et al, 2017). Reese (1969) states that hermit crabs are a fascinating and unique group of organisms, and one of the habitats where they can be found is mangrove forests.…”